White House Easter egg roll gets underway

(AP, ABC7) - In an annual family-friendly rite of spring, President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle kicked off the White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, joining tens of thousands of youngsters and their parents in a day of racing, reading, sports and crafts on a breezy, sun-splashed South Lawn.

The annual event, first held in 1878 when Rutherford B. Hayes was president, featured traditional egg-rolling races - as well as obstacle courses, book-readings, musical performances, cooking with celebrity chefs and clowns galore.

There was even a yoga garden. Officials expected some 30,000 kids and their parents to take part. After welcoming the throng, the president and his family- including first grandmother Marian Robinson - set off to mix and mingle as the president's own Marine Band played Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade."

For the past six years, the Stover family has been trying to get in with no avail. But this year, they scored the hottest ticket in town.

“All the work they do to pull this together and have a great event, it’s so much fun,” says Dana Stover of Oakton, Va.

Rita Wharton grew up not far from the white house in Laurel. On Monday, she brought her two kids to celebrate what she calls an amazing experience.

“I've never been this close to the White House and I've lived here most of my life and it's nice to be here for once,” Wharton says.

Obama's first stop was the day's centerpiece event, the egg rolling race. Obama blew the whistle and joined in the cheers of parents as youngsters scampered across the grass toward a finish line a short distance away.

"We've got a winner over here," he shouted as one child finished the course.

He then joined the rest of his family on the book-reading stage. Malia and Sasha took turns reading from "A Sick Day for Amos McGee" by Philip C. Stead. He followed with Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are," which he called an "all-time classic," and encouraged his audience to join in the growling, roaring and teeth-gnashing of the characters.

Mrs. Obama kept to the animal theme by reading, "The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear" by Don and Audrey Wood. Elsewhere, children could take part in sports with the likes of tennis star Michael Chang, NBA standouts Mitch Richmond and Daryll Dawkins and Olympians Michelle Kwan and Dominique Dawes.

On the basketball court, Obama played the game "Shoot for Strength" with a group of kids and the Harlem Globetrotters. The contest involves sinking shots - and doing pushups.

It took Obama eight tries to sink a basket. He then joined in the pushups that are the game's "reward."

''I'm all pushed-up-out!" he said.

Obama also managed to fit in a few minutes of tennis with one of the sport's legends, Chris Evert.